An In-vitro Study to Predict the Activity of Clotrimazole against Lishmania Donovani Promastigotes

Abstract

Abstract
Study design and objective: this in vitro experiment was done in Kufa Medical College during March through July 2008 to predict the effect of clotrimazole on Leishmania donovani promastigotes (LDP) in term of growth inhibition and this effect was compared with that of meglumine antimoniate and placebo (control).
Method: Leishmania donovani promastigotes were isolated and cultured in Rosewell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). Promastigotes were then transferred in two 96-well plates with equal cell count (1 milion LDP/ml). Clotrimazole in final concentrations 5 and 10 µg/ml was added to the two test groups (30 wells each), and meglomine antimoniate (20 µg/ml) was added in other 30-well group, and a forth group was kept as a control.
Results: After 3 days of incubation, LDP in the tests and control groups were counted to predict the growth inhibition effect of the clotrimazole (5 and 10 µg/ml) which were about 79% and 95% respectively, compared to that of meglumine antimoniate which eliminated about 89% of LDP at 20 µg/ml.
Conclusion: clotrimazole was shown to have a reliable antileishmanial activity in vitro and it is recommended to be used as systemic (oral) treatment for visceral leishmaniasis in future.